Spool



April 21, 1953 G. G. TUCKER, JR

SPOOL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1949 A ril 21, 1953 G. G. TUCKER,JR

SPOOL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1949 Patented Apr. 21 1953 SPOOLGeorge G. Tucker, Jr., Berwyn, 111., assignor to Hubbard Spool Company,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 15, 1949,Serial No. 133,147

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a spool construction, and in particularto a spool construction having a strengthened head member. The spools ofthe present invention find use for holding metallic stock, such as wire,or textile stock, such as cord, thread, yarn, tape or the like.

Although material such as rayon or nylon thread is comparatively ligtht,when the same is wound upon a spool it builds up a substantial axialthrust against the spool heads, tending to move the heads axially awayfrom the ends of the cylindrical barrel or hub of the spool. Therefore,it is necessary to provide the head assemblies with adequate strength toresist substantial axial stress occasioned by such winding or unwinding.This increase in strength should not be accompanied with a substantialincrease in the weight of the spool, since it is desirable for shippingand operating purposes to keep the weight of the spool as low aspossible.

With the foregoin in mind, an object of the present invention is toprovide a lightweight, reinforced spool construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spoolconstruction having reinforced head portions which have the ability toadequately withstand the axial thrust presented to the spool head duringWinding of the medium on the spool.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a spoolconstruction in which the hub portion and head portions of the spool areinterlocked to substantially stiffen and strengthen the head portionswithout materially increasing the weight of the spool assembly.

Cther and further objects and features of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from the following description ofthe attached sheets of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a spool constructed according tothe present invention, with a portion thereof broken away to illustratethe means by which the hub portion is joined to the head portion;

Figure 2 is a broken vertical sectional view taken along the line II-IIof Figure l with parts in elevation;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of a modified form ofspool produced according to the present invention;

Figure 4= is a fragmentary sectional view taken Figure 6 is afragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 5.

As shown on the drawings:

Reference numeral It denotes generally a oylindrical hub portion formingthe body of the completed spool, and having a plurality of tabs llextending from both ends thereof for securing the hub It to theremainder of the spool structure, as will be hereinafter described.

The hub portion It may conveniently be formed of a seamless cylinder ofmetal or as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hub may consist of twosemicylindrical sheet metal stampings which are joined together by apair of strips l2 welded or otherwise secured to the semi-cylindricalmembers across the joints to form a continuous hub structure.

The head portion of the spool assembly consists of an annular headportion 13 having an inwardly turned, outer peripheral edge portion l4,said head portion I3 is provided with slots 53a through which the tabs lI extend. The projectin tabs are then turned back against the outersurface of the head portion I3. Said head portion i3 is likewise securedalong its inner edge 3?) to a tubular insert [5.

The joints between contacting metal surfaces in the spool assembly arepreferably all formed by brazing, and a convenient means foraccomplishing this consists of painting the surfaces of theprefabricated members with a brazing compound at the point where thejuncture is to be made, assembling the various pieces in their correctalignment, and placing the completed assembly in a furnace at atemperature sufficiently high to braze the contacting surfaces togetherby the fusion of the brazing compound.

For the purpose of providing a more rigid struc-- ture for the headassembly, a corrugated or embossed end plate i6 is provided. In theembodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the end plate It is provided with aflanged portion ll at'its outer peripheral edge in nesting engagementwith the inwardly turned lip portionfld of the head assembly and isbrazed thereto.

The end plate It is also provided with a series of inwardly depressedportions It and i9 bottomed against corresponding surfaces of the headmember I3, and secured thereto.

The innermost edge of the end plate It is turned inwardly, as indicatedat 30, and secured at this point to the tubular insert l5.

One of the features of the present invention consists in providing aseries of spaced depressions 20 arranged about a circle in the end plateIS, the depressions 20 being of such a depth that each depression seatsagainst a turned back tab portion H of the hub 19. Here again, the baseof each depression 20 is suitably brazed to a tab H.

The structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 thus forms a reinforced headstructure for the spool assembly. The hub Hi, the head member 13, theend plate 16, and the tubular insert it are all integrally united into arigid structure. Any thrust tending to urge the head assembly away fromthe hub is thus resisted by both the head member I3 and the end plate Itacting together as a unit. The axial thrust is equally distributedthroughout the head structure by virtue of the unions between the tabs Hand both the end plate 16 and the head member l3. The added strengthgiven to the hub structure by means of this arrangement does notmaterially increase the weight to the spool assembly so that its inertialikewise is not materially increased.

A diiferent type of end plate structure for securing the head member 13to the hub i0 is shown in Figures 3-4. As shown in these figures, an endplate 21 is provided with a series of depressions in a steppedarrangement such that the radially outer depression in each series isofiset to a greater extent than the adjacent inner depression. Each ofthe inner depressions 22 formed in the end plate 2! is of sufficientdepth to be snugly seated against the outwardly turned tab II of the hub10. This tab H, of course, is secured as by means of brazing to both thebase of the depression 22 and the abutting surface of the head member[3. Radially outwardly of each depression 22, there is provided a seconddepression 23 which is formed in the end plate 2| of sufiicient depth tobe bottomed against the outer surface of the head member i3. Thus, eachtab II is confined between the bottom of a depressed portion 22 and theend plate 21, and 1 beyond each 'tab ll, corresponding depressed portion23 is bottomed against the end plate 2i thereby locking each tab 1 i inplace. Otherwise, the details of the structure shown in Figures 3 and 4are identical with corresponding parts shown in Figures 1-2.

Still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFigures 5-6. In the modification shown in those figures, an end plate 24is formed with a relatively wide depression 25 bottomed against acorresponding surface of the head member I3. The tabs H extend throughsuitable slots l3a and 24a in the head member [3 and the end plate 24,respectively, and are then turned over into contact with the outersubstantial amount of reinforcement is afforded to the head structure ofspool assemblies without materially increasing the weight.

While only one head structure has been illustrated for purposes ofconvenience, it will be understood that the structure of the oppositehead is identical with that shown. Thus, a thrust load in an axialdirection due to the pressure of the medium being wound will be resistedby both head assemblies. Further, a force supplied against one headassembly tending to force it oif the hub will, due to the interaction ofthe tab against the corresponding head therein, tend to force theopposite head assembly against the adjacent end of the hub. Thus, ineffect, axial pressure outwardly on one head assembly tends to hold theother assembly against axial outward movement.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A spool comprising a tubular hub, a head member of circularconfiguration at each end of said hub, an end plate on each of said headmembers having spaced offset surfaces thereof bottomed on the adjacenthead member, said end plate also having a series of depressions formedtherein, and a plurality of tabs at each end of said hub, each tabhaving one surface thereof joined to one of said head members and theopposite surface thereof joined to the base of one of the depressions insaid end plate.

2. A spool comprising a tubular hub, a head member of circularconfiguration at each end of said hub, an end plate on each of said headmembers having a plurality of depressions extending radially outwardlybut terminating short of the outer peripheries of said head members, aplurality oftabs on each end of said hub extending through said headmembers and secured in position between a head member and the bases ofsaid depressions.

3. A spool comprising a tubular hub, a head member of annularconfiguration at each end of said hub, an end plate secured at itsperiph eral edge to an edge of one of said head members and having aplurality of offset portions, some of said offset portions beingbottomed on and secured to said head member, and a plurality of tabs ateach end of said hub portion extending through said head members andsecured in position on said head members beneath the remaining offsetportions.

4. A spool comprising a tubular hub, an annular head member at each endof said hub, an end plate secured at its outer peripheral edge to anedge of one of said head members, and having offset portions terminatingshort of said head member, and other offset portions immediatelyadjacent said first named portions secured to surfaces of said headmember, and a plurality of tabs on said hub portion extending throughsaid head member and secured in position between said head member andthe base of said first named offset portions.

' GEORGE G. TUCKER, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSSchaefer Jan. 10, 1950

